Since 1975 the urge to travel to Mountains, Lakes and Wildlife sanctuaries has been a major driving force in my choice of travel. I had been to Sandakphu in West Bengal , actually on the India Nepal Border in 1995 with Ashok Dilwali and the desire to revisit that place for photography of the mountain was very high.

Not finding any one else to accompany me , I set out on my own and on the 27th and 28th March, 2015 I was at Sandakphu. The weather Gods obliged me and on 28th morning. For four hours I had a brilliant clear view of the Kanchendzonga and the entire 320 Kms long range from Everest to peaks in Bhutan. However on both days the evening skies were cloudy and low level mist made it impossible to see any thing . So the drama of magnificent colours when the sun sets on the peak was not seen. However on this visit I travelled for about 10kms beyond Sandakphu towards Phalut and was rewarded with glorious views of Everest Lhotse and Makalu.

The entire trip from Bagdora to Sandakphu is a very romantic and wonderful experience. I would urge those of you who are inclined to serious trekking to do this trip once in your life. You will never forget the experience.

I would suggest that from Bagdogra you hire a car and ask the driver to take you to Kurseong via the Longview Forest. The journey will thrill you with forests of Bamboo, Ferns and lush Tea Gardens. One of the best Tea producer Makaibarie Organic Tea Company, is on this road and you can stop for a cup of Makaibarie tea at a tea shop and also buy some to carry home.

At Kurseong you should board the Darjeeling Hill Railway , a UNESCO Heritage Train and travel up to Ghoom or Darjeeling. The car you rented can reach the destination earlier than your train would . This is a very romantic train journey and you will be seeing beautiful forests of Ferns, Bamboo, Pine . However the best part of the journey is that you will see all aspects of life within an arms reach. No where in the world will you travel by train and yet reach out and shake hands of people. In this sector the journey is pleasant because the area is not over crowded.

Once in Darjeeling you will be surrounded by a mass of humanity . This idyllic hill resort has now been overly constructed and is bursting at its seams. However you can take refuge in the Windamere Hotel and experience life as it was during the Days of the Raj.

You can visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute , The Zoo which has a population of Pandas and otherwise sit in the gardens of the Hotel and enjoy a book with a cup of Tea. Darjeeling is 7400 feet above MSL and can be cold from November to March.

The journey to Sandakphu requires hiring a car for a one hour 26 kms trip to Manebhanjan. This is the entry point to the Sangilila National Park. AT Manebhanjan You will be at 7050 feet height.

Now you can choose to travel by a 1954 Landrover in the care of a Sherpa Driver on a stone paved road which will shake up every bone in your body and occasionally give you a scare as they negotiate sharp and narrow hair pin bends. The journey of 31 kms to Sandakphu will take five hours. Nine kms. of this road is paved with concrete and work is going on to pave the rest.
Hopefully it will get completed in two years time. However when that happens the pristine beauty of this journey will be destroyed with influx of hordes of tourists.

If you are inclined to trek then you should be prepared for a journey which will eventually take you to 11930 feet altitude. The tough part is that you climb to 11300 feet and then drop to 8200 feet and again climb to 11930 feet. Most people , other than marathon runners, do the trek in two stages. On the first day they trek 19 kms to Tumling and then on the second day reach Sandakphu.

If you are doing this journey in March April you will see the whole forest full of Rhodendronsand Magnolias. In late Oct early Nov you will see distant peaks.

At Sandakphu there are trekkers lodges. They offer a basic accommodation – two persons to a room and a common Indian Style Toilet. In one of the hotels, Sunrise Lodge, where I stayed you can get a room with an attached Indian Style Toilet. Food is basic Nepalese cooking of Eggs ,Rice, Roti, Dal and Vegetables . At breakfast the lady of the house will make you a pancake topped with honey.

The sun rise is early and normally the clear views are between 545 to 9 am. Sunsets are at 5 pm and area rare events with clear skies.

From Sandakphu the trekkers continue to Phalut at a distance of 21 Kms. This trek is an up and down trek and most people do it in a day. Phalut is at 11600 feet and is closer to the Kanchendzonga . On a clear day the views are awesome.

Then the trekkers carry onto Rimbik and finally they get back to Manebhanjan by a Land Rover. There are several tour agents who organise the treks and I met several people from Germany, Holland, UK and USA who were trekking. A large number of young Indian in the 20 to 40 age group are now trekking to Sandakphu.

This is indeed an exotic and challenging trek. I am sure that with passage of time this route will become crowded with vehicles and people who come from neighbouring cities in West Bengal . Nothing remains pristine and over a period of time crowds multiply.

I am sure those amongst you who have a fascination for the Himalayas and enjoy trekking will undertake this memorable journey. The best time is to visit in late Oct early Nov or end Feb early march. A trip in December is another experience all together.

I am glad that I listened to my inner urge and did this trip even though I was by my self. A journey I will cherish till my end.